


you give me the strength to push on

by bertererei



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Background child abuse, Family Fluff, Found Family, Gen, Modern Fantasy AU, Phoenix!Jaegers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:42:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23378572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bertererei/pseuds/bertererei
Summary: When his little brother calls him at 4 in the morning asking him to not get mad, there’s just one thing this can be about.
Relationships: Eren Yeager & Zeke, Ymir Fritz & Zeke
Comments: 6
Kudos: 215





	you give me the strength to push on

**Author's Note:**

> Please note that this is a story that’s meant to be funny. Yes, there is background child abuse, but that’s all it’ll stay as. Background noise. Just suspend your disbelief and laugh.
> 
> Eren's birthday celebration part 1!
> 
> Warning: Modern Fantasy AU. Background child abuse. Family fluff. Comedy. Phoenix!Jaegers.

If it had been any other sound that woke Zeke up, he has no doubts that he would have ignored it and gone back to sleep. But it wasn't just any sound. It was the special ringtone Zeke set up for when Eren called.

Now, he should make this clear before any accusations fly, Zeke is not a doting older brother by any stretch of the imagination (He is actually. Despite how many centuries he's been alive, it seems he can't quite break the habit of denying this). It's just that when he first set this as Eren's ringtone five years ago, Eren has called him a grand total of two times. Not because Eren didn't want to talk to him, mind you. But circumstances never lined up.

So to hear it after such a long time...

Okay, fine. He was disoriented and confused at first. What is this unfamiliar sound? Then it finally sinks in and he grabs his phone without another moment of hesitation.

"Hello?" he asks.

His voice is scratchy and gross, so he clears his throat and tries again.

"Hello? Eren?"

"Don't get mad," comes Eren's nervous words instead of a greeting. "Just... don't get mad."

Getting mad at your sibling once in a while is normal and healthy. In fact, small squabbles here and there are indicative of a good relationship. But if Eren is worried about Zeke getting mad, it's probably nothing that small.

Zeke can count on one hand all the times Eren has ever made him mad in all the years that they've been together. The first was when Eren threw a fit because Zeke refused to go watch this stupid play for every day of that week (Eren was friends with the person who put the play together at the time, if memory serves). The second was when Eren went fishing and disappeared for three centuries (Eventually, he returned with a crazy story about being kidnapped and the dragon emperor, but that's neither here nor there). The third was when Eren brought home that stupid Ackerman mutt and that damned dog peed all over Zeke's books. Compared to the sheer rage Zeke felt back then, he honestly can't imagine getting mad at whatever it is that Eren has done this time.

"I'm not going to get mad. Tell me what happened," Zeke says as soothingly as he can.

Eren takes in a shaky breath. "I-I was at the bar. Just haven't played around in a while, so wanted to blow off steam, you know?"

It's a habit that Eren got into a century or so ago. He'd stop by a bar and play a few rounds of pool or cards or whatever is popular recently. It's how Eren ended up picking up that damned Ackerman mutt, but that's neither here nor there. Most of the time, Eren returns with a lot more money than he started out with, which all just gets thrown into their ever growing savings that they still don't know what to do with. Zeke once suggested that Eren lose on purpose, but that's what led to the whole Ackerman mutt situation, so Zeke has stopped mentioning something so terrifying since.

"And this idiot didn't have the money to cover his own losses."

Oh, did Eren lend him some money? That's fine. Really, money isn't a problem for either of them. Surely, Eren knows-

"So he paid me with a... erm..."

Zeke realizes with a start that no, it isn't that. This isn't a problem involving money. This is a potential another Ackerman mutt waiting to happen.

"Eren, please tell me you didn't," Zeke begs.

"Don't get mad! Please, don't get mad!"

When his brother is pleading like that, just how is Zeke supposed to say that he's mad? And really, he's not mad. At least, not really. Sure, it'll be annoying for a bit. But even Ackerman eventually left, too. There’s nothing in this world that can outlive a phoenix. So really, all he has to do is wait out whatever it is that Eren got through this shady deal.

"I'm not mad," Zeke promises.

Eren takes in another shaky breath. "You promise?"

... He's at the door, isn't he?

Slowly, Zeke gets up out of his bed. He leaves his room and walk towards the main entrance of their two bedroom apartment they share. When he opens the door, he finds his little brother on the phone, looking anxious.

"O-oh, Zeke!" Eren stammers. "T-this is Ymir."

Peeking shyly from behind Eren's pant leg is a small girl. When she realizes that Zeke is staring, she flinches and hides behind Eren. Her little hands are turning white as they clutch tightly to Eren's pants. It reminds Zeke of when that damned Ackerman first came to live with them. Now that he thinks about it, the situation was similar back then, too, wasn't it?

A small child was given in exchange for a debt someone couldn't (or didn't want to) pay.

"You're... really mad, huh?" Eren asks, wincing. "I-if you want, we don't have to stay here. Uh-"

"No, no, no. I'm not mad. Just... caught off-guard. I'm not mad, Eren. Please don't leave."

Eren stares into Zeke's face, searching for any sign of dishonesty. That would hurt if it wasn't for the anxious worry in his little brother's eyes. Did something more happen? Eren looks like he's been shaken. If someone dared to hurt his little brother, then should Zeke remind these damned mortals why natural disasters should be feared?

Slowly, Eren breaths out, releasing all tension. He must have seen Zeke's sincerity now that he's no longer panicking. He gives Zeke a grateful smile.

"Let's talk more inside," Zeke suggests.

*

Little Ymir only sits down on the couch when Eren does. When Eren stands up to get some whipped cream for the hot chocolate that Zeke makes for them, she stands up and follows. Zeke is certain that he has no room to say anything about it, but he does feel concerned for this small child.

"This might not be my place to ask, but Ymir, are you okay with this?"

Ymir hasn't met eyes with Zeke to begin with. But when she's addressed, she makes sure to duck her head low so that her bangs hide her eyes. As Zeke thought, this child...

"Hey, Zeke here isn't a bad man," Eren tells Ymir softly. "I know he looks like a bear, but he's very kind. You don't have to worry."

Zeke beams at the compliment. That's right. Eren thinks he's kind! Eren thinks he's kind!

Ymir still doesn't look up from the ground. In fact, she makes no move of having heard. Zeke thinks this is probably the best they will be able to get for now.

*

"I'm just really worried because Mr. Erwin is expecting me in tomorrow... er... in a few hours for a delivery. But I can't exactly take Ymir with me."

Ah. This must be why Eren was so worried that Zeke was going to be mad. He's scared that this will blow up into another Ackerman mutt case. With how vehemently against that mutt Zeke had been, he supposes this overreaction makes sense.

"Eren, I'm not mad," Zeke assures his brother yet again. "Ymir and I will wait for you here. Isn't that right, Ymir?"

The girl flinches at suddenly behind addressed. She makes no move of having heard Zeke's words aside from that.

It... probably will be fine... right?

*

Eren ends up falling asleep on the couch with Ymir. He must have been very tired from the events, because he didn't finish his hot coco first.

Zeke moves to pick his brother up to put him to bed, but Ymir stirs when Zeke gets too close and watches him under her bangs in a way that makes him way too uncomfortable. Zeke doesn't think that Eren left anything out of the story on purpose. But the way she tenses when she thinks Zeke will come nearby isn't a normal child reaction.

"I want to put him to bed," Zeke explains himself. "So he can sleep comfortably."

It still feels like she's judging him.

"T-then again, he has work in a few hours, so maybe this is fine."

When Zeke takes a step back, she relaxes visibly. That tells Zeke more than enough of how this is going to end up becoming when Eren isn't nearby.

He isn't looking forward to this.

*

Eren is in the kitchen when Zeke wakes up to see the morning sun settling in the sky. Ymir is in there with him, silently following him around. Zeke doesn't want to alarm her so he makes loud enough noise so that they're both aware that he's up before he makes his way to the kitchen.

"Oh, did you make breakfast? You're not too tired?" Zeke asks worriedly.

His little brother gives him a confident smile that warms Zeke's heart immensely.

"This is why everyone says you dote on me," Eren teases.

"This is how all big brothers treat their little ones," Zeke protests. "Anyone who doesn't understand clearly never had siblings."

Eren laughs and motions Zeke in. He puts a plate of pancakes down at Zeke's usual spot on the table. There are two other plates of pancakes already down along with a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon for them to share. How early did Eren wake up to make all of this?

Zeke sits down as Eren pours him a cup of hot coffee before finally sitting down to eat. There's a glass of milk in front of both Eren's and Ymir's plates. And now that Zeke thinks about it, he can't recall how much milk is left in the fridge. Do they need to buy a new one? Can he wait until Eren returns or should he get it for Ymir before that?

"How long is this delivery supposed to take?" Zeke asks.

"Probably a few days. There's a big package that's urgent. So while delivering that, Mr. Erwin asked me if I could drop off a few bundles to the outposts."

That's just like that leech to pile all the work all at once. That sadist has a thing for overworking his men with small "favors." Zeke once pointed that out to Eren, only to be told that he's overthinking it. Erwin might have pulled the wool over Eren's eyes right now, but Zeke is onto him.

"I'll be back as fast as I can," Eren promises Ymir. "I'm not leaving you for good."

Ymir keeps her focus on the pancakes before her. Zeke is pretty sure that she is listening, though.

"Zeke raised me, so I know he'll take good care of you. You don't have to worry at all."

There's a smallest of a nod from Ymir. Zeke doesn't understand how Eren can look so at ease when it's clear that this little kid isn't comfortable being separated from him. Or perhaps that's just the amount of trust that Eren has in Zeke?

If that's the case, then Zeke cannot disappoint.

He will make sure that Ymir warms up to him in the next few days before Eren returns.

*

"You two be good," Eren tells them both with a small smile.

He calls upon his magic to build his wings to fly while Zeke opens the balcony for him to fly out. It's easier like this than to use the front door. At the very least, it gives them less headache with the neighbors.

"All set here," Zeke calls out.

Eren nods. Then he turns to kneel before Ymir. In his hand, he holds one of the feathers from his wings. So that was his plan. Zeke smiles softly at his little brother for his kindness.

A phoenix's lifespan is determined by how much magic they can pour into their wings. When they can no longer physically manifest their wings, they'll soon be engulfed in their magic to be "reborn." On average, most phoenix can live about a millennia using a little bit of magic every day, but that meager amount isn't enough to manifest their wings.

Eren, who creates his wings every few months for the sake of Erwin's deliveries, is slowly but surely burning out his magic to match what little is left of Zeke's. It won't shock Zeke if Eren purposefully went out of his way to do this so that neither of them will live long without the other.

"This feather is formed with my magic. Anything you want to say to me will be delivered straight to me. If you're bored and want to talk or if something happens, feel free to use this. This way, it'll feel a little bit like I'm with you."

Zeke figured that Ymir will react as she's always done. Head tilted down so that her bangs cover her eyes. She will silently accept the feather and nod without another word.

He doesn't expect for her to look up at Eren.

He doesn't expect for her to smile shyly and nod.

Oh, Zeke realizes. It's not just that his brother is kind. It's that Eren probably feels strongly that he can reach her.

Then he must do everything he can to not undo Eren's hard work.

*

The most important thing that Zeke has to keep in mind is to not approach her too much. He has to give her enough space to breath without making it seem like he does not care about her if Eren isn't in the room. It's a fine line to walk. And if Zeke didn't already have experience in this, he might have been terrified to start.

"Ymir, I'm going to do the laundry, so it's going to get a little loud. There are books on the shelf that you're more than welcome to read. Or if you'd prefer, the TV and radio is free game, too. Let me know if you want a toy to play with instead. I'll get them out for you."

Zeke is pretty sure she won't say yes to any of those. She seems too withdrawn to be able to say clearly what she wants. And right now, he just overwhelmed her with too much options.

But that's just part of his strategy.

Without a doubt, she'll watch him without approaching him. This will give her some time to see what kind of person he is as he goes through the day with his typical chores. It'll be slow. But as a phoenix, all he has is time.

*

Ymir's gaze is unnerving. But that's probably because Zeke is used to Eren's and no one else's. Zeke tries hard to put it out of his mind, but it keeps pulling on his attention.

It makes him make a mistake that he normally wouldn't.

He drops the sock to the ground while taking the laundry out of the bin and into the wash. He huffs a little at himself for being so silly. He's done this over a million times. Why does he have to look so uncool in front of a small child?

But before he goes down to pick it up, Ymir takes an uncertain step forward.

When Zeke glances at her, she flinches and runs to hide out of his sight. But after a few seconds (and when Zeke looks away), she peeks around the corner to watch him again.

She wanted to help, he realizes.

He feels a little charmed as he picks up the sock and throws it in the washing machine.

*

"I vacuumed yesterday, so that's not really necessary... Should I dust? The TV has been collecting dust for a while now..."

Zeke considers his options out loud for Ymir to hear. She's currently hiding behind the couch. But he's certain that she's listening in. Whatever he decides to do, she'll probably come out long enough to watch.

Then perhaps instead of doing chores, he should show that it's okay to relax?

"Well, I'm sure that can all be done later."

With that flippant remark, he sits down on the couch and turns on the TV. What is a good TV program to watch that wouldn't seem too obvious that he turned it on to attract Ymir's attention? Any kind of children's shows are out. He personally doesn't want to watch the news. An educational documentary? But does he really want to watch that?

"Oh, I haven't seen this movie in forever!"

It's a movie that he and Eren watched together a few years back. If memory serves, it's a typical adventure movie filled with lighthearted jokes and impressive stunts. The actions in it wasn't too violent, so he thinks it should be fine for Ymir to see. On top of that, there were some pretty cheesy "we are family" lines sprinkled liberally throughout that may be what Ymir needs to hear.

"Ymir, do you want to watch this with me?" he asks.

There's a small movement before Ymir timidly approaches the coach. Zeke gives her a smile but quickly returns his attention to the movie playing.

"After this is over, let's eat lunch, okay?"

Then he does his utmost best to keep his attention on the movie and not on Ymir to let her feel more at ease.

*

He knows exactly when Ymir becomes immersed in the movie, because she stops fidgeting nervously to watch him and starts paying more attention to what's happening on screen. Zeke chuckles lightly to himself and turns his own attention to the movie, too.

Maybe she'll be interested in talking about it over lunch.

*

Zeke opts for simple omurice for lunch. Partly because he wants to draw the small creature from the movie with ketchup for Ymir to enjoy.

Even though she keeps her head down, he feels her brighten when she sees the drawing.

"Sorry that I'm not too good at drawing," Zeke tells her with a sheepish chuckle. "But I can promise you that it'll taste amazing."

Ymir doesn't make a move to dig in. She waits until she sees Zeke take a spoonful into his mouth before she picks up her spoon. Belatedly, Zeke wonders if maybe she's never had an omurice before.

Then has she had ice cream before?

*

Ymir cleans up the plate so thoroughly that Zeke isn't sure if that's a condition response or if she was really hungry. Did she finish everything on her plate (even the vegetables!) because she has been told that this is all she'll get to eat so she needs to eat everything now? Or maybe it has to do with the mentality of "I'll be beaten if I don't eat everything?" But it's also possible that she was just really hungry.

If that man couldn't pay off his debt and sold her off, isn't the last one most likely?

"Do you want more?" Zeke asks.

Immediately, Ymir shakes her head no.

But is she saying no because she's been told before that she cannot ask for more? Or because she's actually full?

Just in case, Zeke decides to save the ice cream for an afternoon snack instead.

*

His favorite part of doing the laundry is sitting next to the freshly dried clothes, feeling their warmth. Eren prefers to hang them up to dry. But since they moved to the apartments, it's been harder to do that because Zeke keeps forgetting that they are out on the balcony. At least with a dryer, Zeke hears either a beep or the absence of the machine running.

Ymir watches him from afar again. He considers asking her if she wants to hold one of the jackets to feel the warmth with him. But he feels like that might be too creepy.

Once she has warmed up a bit more with him, he'll let her enjoy the small things in life.

*

This is the first time he has seen her eyes since she arrived.

"Do... you not like ice cream?" he asks slowly.

She shakes her head. But her eyes are wide as she stares almost terrified of the two scoops of ice cream that Zeke lovingly decorated with rainbow sprinkles and whipped cream. Typically when Zeke prepares something like this for Eren, he gets showered with overflowing "Thanks you!"s and "You're the best!"s and "I love you!"s. Without meaning to, he might have expected as much enthusiasm.

"Eat only if you want to. It's fine if you decide you don't like it."

She continues to watch the ice cream as if waiting for it to suddenly come alive and attack her. All of her attention is on it. Even when Zeke goes to eat his, she doesn't seem to be watching him. He wonders if she has some kind of trauma related to ice cream.

"It's okay to eat it," Zeke tells her. "It's... er... it's food."

The only reason he thinks she heard him is because she slowly moves to pick up her spoon. Slowly, she takes a small spoonful of the vanilla ice cream and puts it in her mouth. The result is immediate. Her whole demeanor shifts into something much brighter, and she digs in with much more enthusiasm than when she ate the omurice.

Just like Eren, she seems to like sweets.

Zeke chuckles to himself.

*

"By the way, Ymir, do you know how to read?"

From the almost startled rabbit look she gives him, he has his answer.

"Perhaps telling you there are books to read was bad of me... Then do you want to look at photo albums? Eren was a very cute kid."

He has her interest. Of that, he's sure. So he reaches over on the bookshelf to pull out the enchanted photo album that he's been putting together through the years. Eren has expressively forbade him from adding more to it since that would mean Zeke would end up using his magic. But there's no harm in looking through it.

When Zeke settles on the couch with the photo album, Ymir curiously comes closer.

Zeke takes that as his victory.

He opens the photo album and turns it so that Ymir can see it.

"Isn't he adorable? I'd dare argue that he's the cutest little baby in the entire world that has ever been born!"

Ymir doesn't respond, not that he expected her to. He lets her look at the photos for a while longer before he turns the page. Even if he tells her that it's okay to turn the page herself, he gets the feeling she won't feel comfortable doing so. So he watches as her head moves from one part of the page to the end before turning it for her.

"He was such an expressive baby. He doesn't show his emotions as easily as he used to anymore. It's... probably my fault."

Zeke is grateful that she doesn't ask.

*

He keeps dinner simple so that they can have dessert. And Zeke knows that this was a good plan, because Ymir tilts her head and stares questioningly at the pudding that Zeke brings out.

"This is one of Eren's favorites," he explains.

He shows her how to open the pudding by demonstrating it on his own. Then he takes a spoonful and eats it. He pretends to be so distracted by how good it tastes that he doesn't notice her. And as he suspected, she takes that as a chance to try it for herself.

The way she brightens at the taste makes it all worth it.

*

He lets her have the bed and takes the couch for himself. After making sure that she brushes her teeth properly, he pulls out a very old plushie of a monkey and offers it to her. She seems a bit confused by the gesture, but she holds it loosely in her arms the way Eren held this doll once upon a time. Zeke assumes she's copying what she saw Eren do in the photos.

"Good night."

She doesn't say anything back to him, which is fine. But he does hear her whisper softly in the middle of the night, probably talking to Eren using the feather.

He hopes it gives her the courage to slowly start speaking up.

*

They're running low on milk, Zeke notes as he makes french toast in the morning. But is going out shopping an option?

On one hand, he thinks it'll be pretty fun to let Ymir pick out snacks that she wants to eat. But on the other, he doesn't like the idea of accidentally getting separated from her. That is a sure-fire way to lose any bit of trust that he might have been able to earn from her. But to leave her in the apartment alone while he goes out to shop doesn't sit right with him either.

"Maybe I'll call Eren and ask him to pick up milk on the way back," he muses.

He notices that Ymir is staring at him so he gives her a smile.

"Do you have anything you'd like to ask him to bring back?"

She doesn't say anything, but he'd like to believe that one day, she will.

*

"Milk? Yeah sure. That's not a problem. Do you have anything else you want? Just send me a text so I don't forget," Eren says.

He sounds distracted. There's also a lot of wind in the background. But Zeke assumes that's because Eren is flying.

"Am I keeping you from something?"

"N-nothing of the sort. Y-you know how flying in high altitude is."

There's clearly something more going on. But Zeke is worried that if he keeps his brother on the line for too long, it'll become dangerous.

"Ymir, do you want to say hi to Eren before I hang up?"

The smile child shyly approaches the phone Zeke offers her. She hesitates for a second before she leans in and whispers, "Safe travels."

Then she quickly retreats before Zeke can say anything to her. With a small chuckle, he returns the phone next to his own ear.

"We'll be waiting," he tells his brother.

*

Humming lightly under his breath, Zeke pulls out a box of puzzles from the back of the closet. He can feel Ymir's curious gaze on him, so he motions her over.

"Tada! It's my favorite 250 pieces puzzle of two phoenixes! Want to help me put it together?"

Ymir doesn't hesitate as much as he thought she would. Instead, she nods almost immediately when she sees the picture.

Zeke moves the coffee table in the middle of the living room so that they can use this space. He pours out the puzzle pieces and puts the box in front of the TV stand so that they can see what the end result should be.

"Have you ever put together puzzles before, Ymir?"

She shakes her head no.

"That's fine. See, when we start, we want to look for the border pieces first..."

*

They take a break for lunch and to stretch their legs.

"This puzzle is more stubborn than I recall," Zeke bemoans.

The fires of the two phoenixes get mixed up, making it hard to distinguish the pieces at times. But it seems that Ymir is very determined to see this to the end, because she rushes back to the puzzles the minute they're done stretching.

Zeke makes a note to consider picking up more puzzles for her.

*

By dinner time, the two of them have perhaps 20% of the puzzle completed. This is clearly going to be a very long project.

"Shall we take a break and watch a movie?" Zeke suggests.

Ymir looks like she doesn't really like that idea. But it's probably not all that good for her to be scrunched up like that to find the correct piece. Nor is it good for her eyes...

"Then why don't we have the movie playing in the background? Whenever you want to take a break, you can."

She seems to be receptive to that, at least.

*

It's clear to Zeke that Ymir really wants to figure out what happens to the unicorn in the movie more so than finish the puzzle. But she keeps trying hard to put her attention back on the puzzle.

"Hey, we can finish this slowly," Zeke tells her. "Go ahead and enjoy the movie. Here, I'll get some popcorn."

*

Zeke wishes that he knew that this movie would end in a tragedy, because otherwise, he would never have let Ymir watch it. The two of them sit in stiff silence, both pretending that the other isn't crying.

He doesn't even know what to tell her. Does he say that it's just fiction? Because death isn't. Sure, he's a phoenix so he has an extended life. But at the end of the day, everything decays and withers away. There's no if's or but's about it.

Figuring it's better to say nothing than something irresponsible, Zeke allows the silence to lengthen.

*

He wakes in the middle of the night at the feeling that something's off. It takes him a second to recognize the unfamiliar shadow standing in the doorway of the bedroom.

"Ymir?" he calls out. "Is that you?"

There's a small pause of silence before she lets out a soft, "Yes."

"Is everything alright?"

For a second, he thinks that she'll return to the bedroom without another answer. Then she shuffles quietly over to the couch, making sure not to accidentally step over the puzzle.

"E-Eren is coming back, right? He's... not g-going to d-die?"

The movie must have bothered her a lot more than she let on.

Zeke wonders what he should say. There's no doubt in his heart that Eren will return. But that's not a guarantee every time. Not to mention it's hard to talk about "life" and "death" as a phoenix. He can say whatever it is that he thinks Ymir would want to hear. But he doesn't want to get into the habit of that. It wouldn't be fair to Ymir.

"What do you know about phoenixes?" he asks as he sits up.

He motions for her to sit down next to him and is pleasantly surprised when she does. At this close of a distance, he can make out that she's clutching tightly to the monkey doll he gave her.

"They use fire and wind magic," Ymir says hesitantly. "A-and... live a long time?"

"That's right. We do. I won't say something as misleading as we live forever, but it's for such a long time that most people think so. I think we'll probably outlive you as long as nothing strange happens. So for now, I don't think Eren dying before you is something to worry about."

Ymir nods slowly.

"And this is a little secret between the two of us, but my magic is much, much stronger than Eren's. If it looks like he is in trouble, I'll save him."

It'll probably burn him to the ground if he does such a thing. But that's not something Ymir needs to worry about. Zeke doesn't think he'll mind too much if Eren joins him a bit after Ymir has grown up and left the nest. But that's probably a thought that Eren would punch him for. No, Eren would insist that Zeke be alive to see Ymir leave the nest with him.

"So you don't have to worry. Even if my life is on the line, I'll protect Eren."

"That's..."

Zeke glances at Ymir and motions encouragingly. "Yes? What is it?"

"I... don't want you to die, either."

There's a warmth in Zeke's heart that makes his eyes tear up. But he's certain that if he were to cry right now, he would alarm little Ymir. He needs to control his emotions. But he just feels so warm and happy.

"A-are you crying?" Ymir asks softly.

Zeke considers reaching over to ruffle her hair but decides against it in the end. Sudden movement like that is bound to scare her. It'll be better that he doesn't do something so impulsive.

"Yes. I'm crying because I'm happy."

She watches Zeke for a second longer before nodding. "When... Eren said he'll help me, I cried, too. I think that was 'happy.'"

Zeke nods. "Yes, that probably was."

He lets her lean against him. They settle into a comfortable silence.

*

The knock on the door comes about an hour after Zeke and Ymir have gotten comfortable on the couch. Ymir perks up, looking excited. But Zeke doesn't like this.

If it was Eren, he would have knocked on the balcony door.

"Ymir, can you go into the bedroom and hide under the bed for now?"

He's not sure what exactly she heard in his voice, but she tenses. She reaches for Zeke's hand. He allows her to hold it and squeezes back.

"It's probably nothing," he tells her as soothingly as he can. "I'm just being overly cautious, okay?"

She doesn't seem to believe him, but she nods seriously. Then she runs to the bedroom as promised.

With her tucked away safely, Zeke turns towards the front door.

What kind of a headache is waiting for him?

*

"Who's there?" Zeke asks.

He peeks through the peephole and just barely holds back a groan. He recognizes that damned emblem anywhere.

The "Wings of Freedom."

In other words, Erwin's scam of a business.

"Open up, 'dearest' big bro. Let's talk," growls Erwin's right hand and the smallest little gecko in the world, Levi.

Behind him is the leech himself. And no wonder they came so late at night. If not, Erwin will end up bursting into dust. He'd deserve it, too. Damned vampire, thinking they can just barge into anyone's home... Zeke sorely regrets not eating garlic for dinner.

"If you want a talk, then talk. There's no need for you to come in."

Levi looks a second away from busting the door down, but Erwin stops him.

"Alright. Then let's talk. Don't you think you're too overprotective as an older brother?"

Oh, here they go again. "You're too overprotective." "You're too doting." "You need to give Eren room to grow."

Where the hell does a vampire with no family get the right to talk like that to Zeke?

"This is the normal amount. Someone who killed his own father has no room to talk," Zeke points out.

Levi glares at the door, but Erwin just smiles like the scammer he is.

"That may be so. But preventing Eren from coming into work for the past few days is pushing it, don't you think?"

Preventing...?

"What are you talking about? He went on a delivery for you a few days ago," Zeke protests.

It's not until those words leave his mouth that it dawns on him exactly what must have happened.

 _"Don't get mad,"_ Eren had said.

At the time, Zeke thought it referred to Ymir and the dreadful Ackerman mutt incident. He's starting to realize that that wasn't the case.

"I'm opening the door. You're only welcomed to come inside until we're done talking about this. Afterwards, your welcome is revoked."

*

Ymir keeps her head bowed as she did when she first met Zeke. Zeke feels bad for suddenly throwing her to a shark like Erwin. But his options right now are too limited.

"I see... So that's what happened," Erwin mumbles, nodding.

They're situated in the kitchen, away from Ymir's puzzle. Zeke doesn't bother with hospitality since there's no need for it for a leech like Erwin and his gecko. But he does make sure that Ymir has a warm drink in her hands (honey milk so she can fall asleep easily after this) as he glares at the unwelcomed guests in his home.

"That's just like that damned brat," Levi sighs. "He should've just asked me for help."

Yeah, and end up billed for that? If they charged money, Zeke wouldn't have hesitated to pay (they have more than enough money). But Erwin is a leech, through and through. If he realizes that the Jaeger brothers are under his thumb, he'll do everything he can to never let them go.

Like hell Zeke will ever let them cage Eren. Eren's freedom is as precious to Zeke as Eren's life is.

"Now that we're all caught up, excuse Eren for missing a few days of work," Zeke tells them.

Erwin's eyes are sharp as he regards Zeke for a second longer. Then he smooths it all over with a charming smile.

"That's not an issue with me. But I like to protect my investments. Where's your guarantee that he's coming back?"

Ymir flinches. Zeke is going to have to speak carefully to not frighten her more.

"The same one as always."

Levi rolls his eyes. "Your doting should have a limit."

This damned little-

"Then shall we step in?" Erwin asks with a smile.

"No need," Zeke says firmly.

The smile on Erwin's face takes on a colder tint, as Zeke expected it to. Thank god Ymir is keeping her head down. He doesn't want her to mistakenly believe that smile is for her.

"You'll get in his way if you go with your broken wings."

Let it go down on record that Zeke's wings are not broken. It's just that his magic is rather limited right now, so he can't quite form his wings properly. But he's not about to explain that to annoyances. They don't care anyways. Even if he were to explain it, they'll ignore it for their own convenience. After all, they've already had this conversation nearly a century ago.

"He doesn't need anyone to come. Eren will come home after figuring everything out. That's the kind of person he is," Zeke says instead.

When he phrases it like that, it'll make it impossible for Erwin and Levi to jump in. And to make sure that the nail is firmly hammered in place and holding the coffin shut, Zeke adds...

"If you decide against my wishes to go in anyways, then I expect you to fully reimburse us for the damages you cause."

Levi snarls, but Erwin stops him with a wave of his hand.

"Fine. But if Eren is hurt in any way, we'll be coming for your throat."

With such an empty threat, the two finally take their leave.

*

"You don't have to worry about them," Zeke tells Ymir with a soothing smile. "They like to be over-dramatic so they can make money."

Ymir hasn't touched her drink at all. Is she feeling guilty over all of this? Then what can Zeke say to help ease her worries?

"It's probably not very reassuring to hear from me, since I'm really biased. But Eren is stronger than those two make him out to be. And if all else fails, I'll rush to rescue him."

No, that doesn't seem to have done the trick. There should be something else that he can say to reach her. If he was in her shoes, what would he want to hear?

"Ymir, when that time comes, won't you come with me to save Eren?"

And that.

That's what does it.

Her eyes shine with hope as she looks to him. He's certain that she's also worried that she might not be enough. That she'll end up holding them back. But he knows that there's also nothing as reassuring as being asked to come along on a highly important mission.

It's how he felt when, after the bloodshed that was their initial encounter, Eren trusted him to travel together.

"I'm sure Eren will be happy to see us."

Ymir shyly giggles. "So happy, he'll cry?"

Turns out she's a lot more mischievous once she starts opening up.

Zeke laughs.

*

Ymir finishes the puzzles in the next two days as they wait patiently for Eren to return. Almost as if to celebrate her hard work, Eren lands on the balcony with a soft thud.

Both Ymir and Zeke stare at each other for a confused second and then back at the balcony. It's not until Eren knocks on the closed glass that they realize that yeah, this is real.

"Eren!"

The two of them race to open the balcony door wide. Eren has two plastic bags, one in each hands.

"Milk delivery!" he laughs.

But it's clear that only one of the plastic bag has a milk in it. The other one-

"I bought some ice cream as well! Let's eat them before they melt!"

*

"Eh? Mr. Erwin stopped by? W-with Mr. Levi? D-did they look... a-angry...?" Eren asks nervously.

And of course, that's what Eren focuses on. Not the fact that Eren lied to his brother and employer. Not the fact that he really worried all of them. Not the fact that Eren made the choice to not trust any of them enough to tell them what happened.

But the fact that his employer was angry.

"If I had a willful employee who missed work without saying anything, I'd be angry, too."

"I-I told them I won't be coming in," Eren mumbles. "I didn't think they'd come ask you about it."

Put that way, it's almost as if that leech swallowed his pride to come find Zeke. It's a surprisingly a good feeling.

"Don't look so smug," Eren chides him.

"They threatened to come for my throat! I'm allowed!" Zeke protests.

Eren rolls his eyes, but it's all in good humor. The two laugh comfortably.

"Is... uh... is everything okay?" Ymir asks softly.

Eren grins. "Yup! Everything has been solved. You don't have to be worried about them coming to get you or anyone else be sold as a slave."

Hm? Wasn't this a case of domestic neglect? Of a parental unit being unable to pay for their debt?

"O-oh... S-sure! Let's go with that!" Eren says quickly, waving his hand in the air in a clear manner that he doesn't want to get more into it.

Zeke better wait until Ymir is asleep to get more information. On one hand, he's glad to know that everything is alright. But he also would've liked to have known what was happening before Eren left.

"Eren," Ymir says, tugging on his sleeve.

"Yes?"

She takes a spoonful of ice cream and holds it up for Eren to eat. Eren's eyes light up. He chuckles happily and accepts.

If it's going to be like this, Zeke feels he'll like Ymir much more than he ever liked that Ackerman mutt. At the very least, Ymir's affections for Eren seems as sweet as Eren's affection back. It won't become as twisted and as terrifying as Mikasa's...

Right?

_Fin._

**Author's Note:**

> "Yeah, everything turned out well. Thanks for your help," Eren tells Jean over the phone.
> 
> Jean scoffs. "You think this little is hard for people like us? There's a limit to you underestimating us!"
> 
> "Stop bragging and ask about the kid!" Sasha yells in the background. 
> 
> "No one cares about your ego!" Connie adds.
> 
> Jean yells at both of them to shut up. There's a bit of sound of scuffle in the background before Armin takes the phone.
> 
> "Any chance we'll be able to meet little Ymir?" he asks.
> 
> "I'll have to sneak her out. I don't think Zeke wants to see Mikasa any time soon."
> 
> If the fact that Zeke sometimes mutters darkly about the "Ackerman mutt" is any indication, anyways. And to be honest, Eren doesn't even blame him. Mikasa had a very... rough childhood and it really showed in how she treated everyone but Eren.
> 
> "Does he even realize that Mr. Levi is also an Ackerman?"
> 
> Eren recalls the smirk on Zeke's face as he talked down about the "little gecko" that follows "that leech" around. 
> 
> "I... think it's for the best that he doesn't know."
> 
> Armin chuckles. "I suppose you're right."
> 
> "Is that Eren? Are you talking to Eren?" Mikasa asks in the background.
> 
> And that's Eren's cue to exit stage. "I'll text you guys a time and place. See you then?"
> 
> "Sounds good!"
> 
> Eren hangs up and takes a moment to enjoy the breeze out on the balcony. It's a different kind of wind from when he's flying. Different, but not bad. Although he'll have to fly for the delivery soon, he's kind of looking forward to this quiet kind of breeze for a bit.
> 
> "Maybe we should go to the mountains," Eren muses.
> 
> "The mountains, huh?" Zeke asks as he comes to join Eren out on the balcony. "It has been a while since we went, hasn't it?"
> 
> Eren leans in so that their shoulders touch. 
> 
> They enjoy the gentle breeze together.


End file.
